Best Small Riding Lawn Mowers and Tractors | Gas & Electric. Mini riding lawn mower • CIMFLOK.COM

Best Small Riding Lawn Mowers and Tractors | Gas Electric

You’ll agree with me, mowing the lawn always seems like a chore. The task feels even more dreadful if you try to cover more than a quarter of an acre with a walk-behind machine.

Fortunately, the best small riding mowers and tractors can cut down the time you spend trimming your yard. Some even turn your mowing into a fun activity (hello, cup holders, and cruise control!)

Best Small Riding Lawn Mowers
Best Compact Riding Mower
Best Small Zero-Turn
Smallest Riding Mower
Why a Compact Riding Mower
Comfort and Speed
Garden Layout and Obstacles
Versatile
Choosing A Small Ride On Lawn Mower
Riding Lawn Mower Options
Engine Power: Gas or Battery
Run Time: Fuel or Battery Cell Capacity
Cutting Deck
Small Riding Lawn Mowers Reviewed
Greenworks 60V CrossoverT 42 in Electric Riding Mower
EGO Power Z6 42 in. Electric 56 V Zero Turn Mower
RYOBI 48V Electric Rear Engine 30 in Riding Mower
Troy-Bilt Pony 15.5 HP BS Engine 42 Riding Mower
Husqvarna 18.5HP Riding Lawn Mower 42-Inch
John Deere S120 42-Inch Lawn Tractor
Other Feature Considerations
Turning Radius
Comfort Controls
Transmission Type
The gradient of Hilly Terrain or Slopes
Verdict: Best Small Riding Lawnmower
Best Compact Riding Mower
Best Small Zero-Turn
Smallest Riding Mower
FAQ Small Riding Lawn Mowers

With that in mind, I decided to look back at some of the best small riding mowers that I have used or tried over the past couple of years. To bring you a shortlist of the best-performing mowers intended for residential use.

Best Small Riding Lawn Mowers

If you’re too busy to skim the entire review, here are my top picks:

Greenworks 60V CrossoverT 42in Riding Mower

As far as small residential riding mowers go, this is the pick-up crop. Outstanding performance up to 2.5 acres.

EGO Power Z6 42 in 56V Zero Turn Mower

For anyone who needs to cut tight in tight spots and have perfect mower control, Ego Power is my favorite electric zero-turn.

RYOBI 48V Electric Rear Engine Mower 30-in

Standard steering wheel control, make this easy-going 30-inch mower great for small residential lawns up to 1 acre.

Why a Compact Riding Mower

If you’re too busy to skim the entire review, here are my top picks giving you the option of the best small riding mower, and small zero-turn, and I thought I should also include the smallest ride-on mower worth buying.

Comfort and Speed are key benefits. Who can argue with sitting on a mower and getting the job done in a fraction of the time it would take with a walk-behind a mower
Garden Layout and Obstacles spin on a 0-degree radius or power up 30-gradient hills
Versatility towing fertilizer spreaders, leaf sweepers, or a trailer full of logs

Comfort and Speed

Small-riding lawnmowers have lots of comfort features and work at faster speeds than you can work with a walk-behind mower, letting you fix your lawn faster and more comfortably. Most small riding mowers have ergonomic high-back seats and armrests with adjustable seating positions for both tall and short drivers. You’ll also find varieties with gripped, foam-padded levers to keep you comfortable throughout your mowing.

You probably know that riding lawnmowers and tractors have faster ground speeds than their walking counterparts. Their center of gravity is low, so they are safe to use at a relatively fast pace. They also have wider cutting decks than walk-behind mowers, which let you cover more ground in fewer passes.

Finally, their excellent maneuverability improves mowing efficiency wasting less time turning, shifting direction, or getting from one point to another.

Garden Layout and Obstacles

You’ve seen those lawns, those with perfectly straight stripes. Want to achieve a similar finish? A small riding lawn mower or tractor can make this possible.

These machines have excellent maneuverability, making you alternate your mowing directions with ease to create such great-looking patterns.

Zero-turn mowers even spin in a zero-degree radius cutting every blade of grass, meaning no need to re-run the cut to get that tuft of long grass missed when turning.

Versatile

Compared to traditional mowers, a compact lawnmower has extensive uses. When you use it on uneven ground, it offers excellent maneuverability and is more stable. The same applies when talking about hills, slopes, or even ground. The large tires also offer excellent traction on a wet lawn.

But the numerous attachments that can be towed are perhaps what make it stand out. The machine can be an effective mower if you add a mid-mount deck below it. Otherwise, you may attach a rotary cutter behind it to work across open spaces. Finally, a compact tractor can help you move gravel, dirt, or snow or even clear your lawn of debris by using a tow behind lawn sweeper.

Choosing A Small Ride On Lawn Mower

You want a small riding lawn mower or tractor to make your work easier and meet your needs cost-effectively. So what are the key consideration factors to have in mind? Let’s explore.

Riding Lawn Mower Options

Your choice of riding grass-cutters is limited to three options: zero-turn mowers, garden or lawn tractors, and rear-engine mowers. I’ll take you through the three alternatives.

Zero-Turn Mower

The zero-turn mower or ZTR has gained the reputation of the lawn-mowing world’s Ferrari. They stand out due to their excellent speed and control. But perhaps their greatest attraction is their unsurpassed maneuverability.

This riding mower allows you to turn without leaving behind small semi-circle or tear-shaped patches of uncut grass. It can make sharp turns, pivot, and deliver a remarkable all-around cutting performance. Furthermore, you can cut much closer to obstacles and against landscaped edges to deliver a better finish.

Finally, the machines have excellent steering abilities to offer you an efficient mowing experience, even on irregularly shaped lawns. You’ll likely get the easiest mowing with the mower’s capacity to trim lots of grass within the shortest timelines.

If you need precision cutting then choosing the smallest Zero Turn mower you can find is the best option ride-on mower for your lawn.

Garden or Lawn Tractor

The garden tractor may be familiar to you already… with its front-mounted engine that is likely to come to mind when thinking about a ride-on mower. Its deck width ranges from 42 and 54 inches, making it a great choice if you’re looking to fix anything of 1 acre upwards.

You can determine the right lawn tractor by dividing its deck width by 12, where the answer will represent the maximum lawn acreage the machine can handle. For instance, a 54-inch deck is perfect for up to five or six acres.

Lawn tractors also have an excellent engine capacity of between 18 to 25 HP. Entry-level machines have a single-cylinder, while the top-end models come with twin cylinders. Basic tractors work with lever-operated gear transmission, while upgraded varieties leverage continuously variable transmission – a pulley drive automatic transmission controlled by a hand lever.

A superb utility machine with very good cutting. The lawn tractor doesn’t offer the dexterity of a zero-turn, but they generally offer more power and can handle rougher terrain.

Rear Engine Riding Mower

You’ll like the rear-engine riding lawnmower if you own a moderately sized lawn that’s too small to use a lawn tractor but too large to use a walk mower. As the name suggests, the mower has its engine at the back, right below the driver’s seat, while the deck is right below the driver’s foot position.

This machine has a shift-on-the-go hand lever that controls the continuously variable transmission. It also runs on a single-cylinder engine of about 10 to 11 HP. It’s more compact for easier storage and comes at a relatively lower price than most mowers. However, they have smaller mowing decks of about 30 inches and slower cutting speeds than other riding mowers.

Rear Engine mowers are a great choice for an easy ride on a small to the medium-sized residential yard.

Engine Power: Gas or Battery

Most small riding mowers are gas-powered. Whilst others run on battery power and must be charged before use. So which should you go for? Let’s explore the two options:

Gas-Powered Riding Mower

Gas-powered riding mowers have established a reputation for the power they produce. This is true to a certain degree. What I mean is not all gas engines are equal.

Some are built with exceptional engineering offering legendary reliability such as Honda, Kawasaki, or Briggs Stratton, whilst others are proprietary-built engines that are…well good enough, but not great.

What you can be sure of with gas-powered machines, is that you will have a much broader range of mowers to choose from, in comparison to electric ride-on mowers. On the larger mowers with big powerful engines, there’s no doubt they are going to deliver more horsepower than an electric motor, but they come with a few downsides too:

Maintenance. Gas-powered mowers require maintenance, such as service intervals to switch out drive belts, spark plugs, filters, etc
Gasoline. It can get messy and smelly when it comes to refueling your ride on a gas mower
Emissions. When I say emissions I am talking about the environmental pollution, fumes, and noise population

Battery-Powered Riding Mower

If you’re concerned about “green” landscaping and noise-free mowing, you already have enough reasons to favor an electric ride-on lawnmower.

Electric riding lawnmowers came to address the objections against gasoline mowers. Battery-powered mowers eliminate a number of the aggravations you get with a gas mower. Such as there’s no engine to worry about just a motor that requires zero maintenance.

They run quieter than gas which gives them a huge advantage in residential settings. Plus they tend to be more reliable too. They switch on and go.

These machines can be cheaper and easier to maintain, but their functionality is limited to a specific mower’s runtime on a single charge unless you have multiple sets of battery cells. If you forget to charge the battery or have several acres to clear, the power may not be sufficient to trim your entire lawn in a sitting. So pay attention to the battery capacity in the product review below.

Run Time: Fuel or Battery Cell Capacity

Your small riding mower should be able to clear your entire lawn in the shortest time possible. Different factors determine its runtime, including the machine’s age, its weight, your yard’s terrain, and how aggressively you’re driving it.

Gas-powered mowers don’t deliver the same runtime as battery-powered models, but you can just top up gas as you need it. On the flip side, batteries have a finite time per job until they run out. Then you have downtime waiting for the batteries to recharge. So you need to get the job done in a single take.

The run time of your ride-on mower will be determined by the battery storage capacity, which is stated in Amperage per hour, or Amp Hours (Ah).

Top 5 Riding Lawn Mowers for 2023 To Gain the Advantage Over Your Grass

Summer is around the corner, and for some owners, riding lawn mowers are the only way to stay on top of lawn maintenance. However, the market is full of options, from EFI-equipped large-deck options to fully-electric mini mowers. Fret not; one of these five riding mowers can deliver what you need to conquer your grass in 2023, like the John Deere S130, S120, and Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT.

When it comes to well-rounded riding mowers for small to medium lawns, these five are some of the most capable on the market.

Husqvarna YTH18542
John Deere S130
Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT
John Deere S120
Ryobi RY48111

Additionally, the Husqvarna YTH18542 boasts two sets of cutting blades instead of a single cutting surface. However, the deck can be difficult to dismantle for sharpening, per ZDNet. Further, the YTH18542’s 18.5-horsepower Briggs Stratton engine is more than enough to handle challenging lawns and hills. The Husqvarna model starts at around 6500,399.00.

What engine is in a John Deere S130?

John Deere’s S130 riding lawn mower packs a 22-horsepower, 724cc Briggs Stratton engine. As a result, the S130 is a more powerful riding mower, albeit more expensive than the Husqvarna YTH18542, per Bob Vila.

over, the John Deere model will mow in reverse, packs multiple blades, and delivers easily controlled throttle via a hydrostatic transmission. Better yet, Bob Vila says the S130 will eagerly handle a two-acre lawn, but anything over three acres might be pushing it for the green machine.

Is a Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT one of the best riding lawn mowers?

With a 19.5-horsepower Kohler engine and a 42-inch deck, the Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT is an excellent gas-powered alternative to the John Deere S130 and Husqvarna YTH18542. over, with starting price point of 6500,399, the Cub Cadet XT1 model is comparably priced in the segment.

Better yet, potential owners won’t be compromising compared to close competitors; the Enduro LT packs a smooth hydrostatic transmission and twin-blade cutting system.

How much is a John Deere S120?

The John Deere S120 starts at 6500,699.00, making it a pricier option than a comparable Husqvarna YTH18542 or Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT. However, the S120 shares many of the features of the S130, like the 22-horsepower engine and a 42-inch cutting deck.

Reporting for Duty: The Cub Cadet Riding Mower Makes Lawn Care Easy

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Thinking about purchasing a new riding mower to achieve all your lush lawn dreams? While John Deere is a typical go-to brand for riding mowers, a Cub Cadet Riding Mower should be on your list of selections to consider.

Not only does Cub Cadet offer excellent quality machines at great price points, but they also carry both electric and gas-powered mowers. Cub Cadet’s gas-powered riding mowers are powerful enough for those with large yards and fields. On the other hand, electric Cub Cadet Riding Mowers offer a battery-powered function, which means a quieter ride with zero emissions.

To decide on the best option, consider the area you’ll need to cover and the cost of gas versus electricity. Regardless of the version you choose, Cub Cadet mowers come with a best-in-class three-year, unlimited-hour warranty.

What is a Cub Cadet Riding Mower?

Cub Cadet is an American company that manufactures and sells outdoor power equipment, including riding mowers. Currently, there are three Cub Cadet Riding Mowers types: lawn and garden tractors, zero-turn mowers and electric riding mowers.

Lawn and garden tractors are the highest-powered versions of riding mowers that Cub Cadet offers. They’re best for larger areas and come with various attachments and accessories for year-round versatility and utility.

Zero-turn riding mowers allow users to get mowing jobs done 50% faster and are engineered to handle a range of terrains. They can cover up to five acres, with steering wheel options that make the user experience easier.

Electric riding mowers offer the same powerful performance with zero emissions, thanks to a powerful and convenient lithium-ion battery. The absence of a gas engine makes these machines some of the quietest on the market.

How to Use a Cub Cadet Riding Mower

Cub Cadet Riding Mowers come in gas and electric versions, meaning you will either need to charge the batteries or fill the tank with gas before using it for the first time. Electric model batteries are fully charged in four hours and last up to one and a half hours or up to two acres. On average, gas-powered Cub Cadet Riding Mowers use about three gallons of gas for every 2 hours of use.

As with any new machinery, it’s essential to thoroughly read the user manual before use. To help you learn how to use your Cub Cadet riding mower, we recommend viewing the instructional videos and troubleshooting tips on the Cub Cadet website.

Here are the stats on some of their most popular models that will help you decide which machine is right for your job:

Cub Cadet Electric Mini Riding Mower

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The Cub Cadet Electric Mini Riding Mower has a powerful 56-volt max lithium-ion battery that can be charged using a standard 110-Volt outlet. The battery lets you mow up to one acre (or for one hour) on a single charge without power fade, and it recharges in about four hours. As with all electric machines, there’s no need for oil, filer or spark plug changes (which can become costly).

Cub Cadet Zero-Turn Riding Mower

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Cub Cadet’s gas-powered Zero-Turn Riding Mower has a premium 23-horsepower twin-cylinder OHV engine, which boasts commercial-grade power to meet the toughest demands. The dual-hydrostatic transmissions allow for a quick 7 mph forward (or 3.5 mph reverse) ground speed that leaves your lawn with a professional-quality finish. Its 50-inch AeroForce fabricated deck delivers a signature cut with fewer clumps, finer clippings and increased evenness.

Cub Cadet Enduro Lawn and Garden Tractor

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The Cub Cadet Enduro Series Lawn and Garden Tractor has a gas-powered, 23-horsepower Kohler 7000 Series twin-cylinder engine. It features a 46-inch stamped, 12-gauge twin-blade deck with 12 cutting positions. It also has an optimized steering system for responsive handling and a 16-inch turn radius with a zero-turn feel.

The Best Cub Cadet Riding Mower Reviews

Five-star reviewer Clark R. says assembly of his Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro Gas Powered Riding Lawn Mower was “straightforward and painless.”

“After checking all fluids, pins, etc, some gas and fired right up,” he writes. “What use to take over an hour with the old 30 inch cutter now takes 20 minutes with far less gas consumption.”

J. Blair is on his second Cub Cadet Riding Mower (a CC30E Electric Mini Riding Mower) and says, “Cub Cadet never has disappointed. This is my second cub cadet tractor, and I believe there isn’t a better one out there.”

When it comes to using the electric version, Maeck Dude says, “The Cub [CC30E Electric] mini is amazing. It mows like a champ, even the thick stuff. The mulcher works like a charm, and the electric motor is easy to clean and lasts over an hour. I would highly recommend it for towing stuff as well. It will not mow steep hills and tends to want to slide on a steep slope but it’s really a marvel I’m so impressed with the quality of the machine.”

Where to Buy a Cub Cadet Riding Mower

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You can buy a Cub Cadet Riding Mower directly on the company’s webpage, or from The Home Depot, Farm and Fleet, or Tractor Supply. We recommend purchasing yours online (rather than in-store) unless you want to be tasked with hauling it home. Happy mowing!

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WHY CHOOSE A TORO ZERO TURN

With roots dating back to 1914, Toro was built on a tradition of quality, long lasting products and customer relationships. We take the same technologies that professional contractors rely on and design them into every product we build. From power-packed beasts that take on untamed acreage to space-saving sizes that tuck neatly into your garage, Toro zero turn mowers feature the ultimate in comfort making your mowing experience enjoyable and give you a beautiful lawn in less time.

MyRIDE Comfort System

Toro’s got your back. Literally. Our patented MyRIDE Suspension System features a suspended, fully-floating rear and front shock adjustable operator platform that takes the bumps so your body doesn’t. With MyRIDE, the best seat in the house is actually in the yard. (Select models only)

IronForged Decks

Built to Last. Get years of reliability and top performance with the IronForged Deck, a 10-gauge High Strength fabricated steel deck shell, reinforced leading-edge across the entire deck, huge 6 inch spindles and belts reinforced with bulletproof material. (Select models only)

Built With ProDNA

The same, commercial-grade DNA that pros rely on, courses through the veins of every mower we build. giving you lawn-dominating power, durability, and precision to get the job done quicker and right the first time.

Need more help finding the right zero turn mower for you? Read this article that walks you through a wide variety of options to think about.

HOW TO CHOOSE A ZERO TURN

Choose a deck that fits your needs, from the 32″ to get into tight spaces, to our 60″ time saver. No matter the size, our decks are built to last, and will let you cut like the Pros.

Property Size

What’s the size of your property? From suburban lawns to large properties, cut your mowing time with zero-turn steering. Giving you a gorgeous lawn and more time to enjoy it.

Terrain Type

What type of terrain are you cutting? Whether it’s a finished manicured lawn with obstacles or a rough pasture, we have a mower for you.

Creature Comforts

From our Handcrafted seats to the MyRIDE suspension system, you’ll enjoy a more comfortable ride, keeping you productive and feeling fresh.

WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY SERVICE

How To Choose the Best Riding Lawn Mower

Toro riding mowers are built to last longer and perform better than any others you can find, but for many people, it’s hard to narrow down your choices to find what’s right for your lawn. The lineup of Toro riding mowers is solely zero-turn mowers because we believe they offer the most comfort, durability, and capability compared to others such as lawn and garden tractors, and allow a better mowing experience for our customers.

Because of their maneuverability and comfort, zero turn riding mowers are ideal for lawns with many obstacles including garden features, trees and landscaping. Consider the acreage of your lawn that needs to be cut, and the versatility you need, such as if you need to tow anything or mow different types of brush or grass. To start with, consider the size and grade of your lawn.

Now that you know the benefits of buying a zero-turn mower, here are the 8 key things to consider when buying a riding lawn mower.

Durability – look for designs that are inspired by commercial machines
Deck Construction – a heavier deck doesn’t mean a better quality of cut. Be sure to research those that leave a good after cut appearance.
Engine Design – single-cylinder and twin-cylinder options are available, with twin-cylinder being the choice of professionals
Cutting Height – look for easy adjustability without intricate parts which could break over time
Wide Tires – wide tires offer the most traction and weight distribution for better stability
Comfort – seat construction, suspension, and accessories (such as a sun shade) make all the difference
Speed and steering control – adjustable speeds, smooth operator controls, and zero-turn steering give the operator full control
Price – a key consideration for most customers, zero-turn mowers start around 6500,500 and go up depending on need for features, range, and comfort

There can be a lot to consider when making this choice, and Toro has a fantastic selection of products above. For more information about these 8 steps to choosing the right riding mower for you, read more at yardcare.com

MORE TIPS TO CHOOSING A ZERO TURN

Property Size

What’s the size of your property? From suburban lawns to large properties, cut your mowing time with zero-turn steering. Giving you a gorgeous lawn and more time to enjoy it.

Mowing Deck

Terrain Type

What type of terrain are you cutting? Whether it’s a finished manicured lawn with obstacles or a rough pasture, we have a mower for you.

Creature Comforts

From our Handcrafted seats to the MyRide suspension system, you’ll enjoy a more comfortable ride, keeping you productive and feeling fresh.

The Best Zero-Turn Mowers of 2023

These achieve the rare feat of making lawn mowing fun.

By Roy Berendsohn Published: Mar 1, 2023

When it comes to yard work, zero turn mowers do the impossible. They make lawn mowing fun. They accomplish this by putting unprecedented speed, control and maneuverability at the disposal of the person mowing the lawn. The so-called “zero turn” feature of these mowers converts a grass cutting machine into something akin to an amusement park ride. You steer the machine with two levers—the left lever controls the left wheel, the right lever the right wheel. With that steering setup, you can zoom over the landscape cutting straight lines, curves, or pivot the mower into and out of a corner. What’s not to like?

Read on to understand how these agile grass cutters work, how we go about testing them, and see some candidates that we’ve recently tested as well as some that we haven’t but that we think look particularly promising.

The Best Zero-Turn Lawn Mowers

A zero-turn riding mower consists of an operator platform, a frame and wheels, an engine (or battery bank), transmissions (or motors), and a pair of control levers commonly known as lap bars. In gas mowers, the engine powers a pulley system. One group of pulleys drives the blades, another group powers a pair of transmissions–one at each rear wheel. When you move the lap bar forward or back, you are directing the transmission to go faster, slower, or even turn the opposite way. When one drive wheel turns clockwise and the other counter clockwise, the mower pivots. When the wheels rotate at different rates, the mower turns in an arc-shaped path. When the lap bars are in the neutral position, the mower stops. Aside from a parking brake, there’s no other braking mechanism. Battery-powered zero-turn mowers work the same way, but have separate motors to drive the rear wheels and one for each blade inside the mower deck.

When it comes to transmission, most mowers have a Hydrogear EZT—a well-known and cost-effective residential-grade transaxle with a reputation for durability.

Some mowers use a deck stamped from one piece of steel, others use a deck fabricated from multiple pieces and welded together. A fabricated deck can be built from thicker steel at a lower cost than it would be able to be built otherwise. Once you’re talking about stamping metal as thick as 10 gauge (about 1⁄8 inch thick), the cost of stamping such a deck would push up the mower’s price beyond what most people are willing to pay. The decks in the mowers below range from 42 to 52 inches, a typical size in this class of product. When powered by these engines and the Hydrogear, these mowers will deliver a decent cut quality at their rated top speed of 7 mph. Note, however, that cut quality declines steeply if you maintain that speed in very thick grass or on uneven terrain.

As to the electric mowers, they represent the leading edge of the technology in this category. These are remarkable and expensive mowers powered by large-voltage lithium-ion batteries. If you’re interested in reducing mowing noise and simplifying your maintenance routine by eliminating gas and oil, they’re worth a look.

Selecting a Zero-Turn Mower

Everyone would like to select the biggest possible zero-turn mower with the hope of whittling a big grass cutting job down to size as quickly as possible. Reality usually intercedes because these machines are expensive and the wide range of options available today quickly drive up the cost. Roughly speaking, you start somewhere in the range of a mower with a 42-inch deck costing in the vicinity of 3200 to 3500 and move up in increments of 1000 to 1500 until you reach entry-level commercial-grade equipment that costs 7000 to 8000.

Again, speaking in terms of approximation, a mower with a 42-inch deck will cut a two-acre lot (that takes into account that the house, driveway, outbuildings and various landscape features are taking up some of that space). Use a mower with a larger deck to cut anything over two acres. But here’s the caveat. That entry-level ZTR mower (3200, say) with a 42-inch deck will wear out faster and need more maintenance than a mower with a 50-inch deck, a heavier frame, larger engine and higher quality transmissions, and thicker deck with more robust blade spindles, costing 4500.

In the simplest possible terms, you can cut a smaller area with a larger mower and expect more longevity out of the machine (not to mention a nicer mowing experience) or you can cut a larger area with a smaller machine and encounter more maintenance and a mowing experience that will be, we might say, a bit more rugged.

But there are still other factors to consider, in selecting a mower other than deck size and your budget. Larger mowers take more space in a garage or outbuilding. And a mower with a 50-inch or even 60-inch deck, as useful as it might be in getting the job done more quickly, may not fit through a fence’s gate, and it might be more difficult to maneuver in tight spots without creating scalp marks on the lawn from a lot of close-quarter pivoting.

Carefully consider all these factors when shopping for a mower: your budget, maintenance and whether you will perform that work yourself, mowing speed and time, maneuverability and trimming in tight areas, the importance that you place on your comfort while mowing, cut quality, longevity, storage, and access to the landscape.

How We Select and Test

There’s only one way to test a mower, and that’s to cut grass with it. But we also do more than mow.

We raise and lower the deck and adjust the seat. We look at service point access (the air filter, the spark plug, and the oil filter) and how easy it is to remove the deck. We mow approximately an acre with each mower, considering cut and mulching quality while running uphill, downhill, across washboard, and along sidehills. (On sidehills, we’ll mow surfaces pitched up to approximately 20 degrees; manufacturers generally recommend not going steeper than 10 degrees, but we like to be thorough.) We evaluate power and speed relative to cut quality—we investigate whether the mower delivers a decent cut mowing at full speed. When mowing in damp conditions, we look at whether the mower’s tires accumulate grass and how effectively it discharges moist clippings. Finally, we test maneuverability (these machines are, generally, very nimble) and how readily they come to a stop when you back off the lap bar control levers.

For more lawn mower reviews, check out our guides to the best riding lawn mowers, electric lawn mowers, and self-propelled mowers we recommend, and learn more about finding the right mower for you.